Aer Lingus in last ditch talks to avoid strike tomorrow
Aer Lingus is in last ditch talks with pilot unions to avoid being hit by strike action tomorrow.
If it goes ahead, the strike would impact up to 30,000 passengers.
The airline said thousands of customers had already cancelled or changed their flights.
It is allowing passengers booked to travel from tomorrow until Friday to change their flight free of charge.
In a message to customers, it said: “We realise that this is extremely disruptive for our customers and we apologise most sincerely for the major inconvenience this may cause.”
The Pilot Trade Union IALPA/IMPACT is threatening to strike over a shortage of pilots in the company.
The union claims that last summer’s work rosters were chaotic and that pilots were regularly forced to work six out of seven days.
Aer Lingus claimed it hired agency staff to make up numbers and claims pilots are objecting to new regulations relating to their holiday entitlements and the notice they are given about future working hours.
Talks between the two parties collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning but yesterday the airline’s management and pilots agreed to attend the Labour Relations Commission.
If they fail to reach an agreement, pilots based in Cork and Dublin will report an hour late for duty tomorrow and will refuse to work on rostered free days or annual leave days.
Aer Lingus said services from Belfast International Airport, its Washington-Madrid service and regional flights in the UK would not be affected.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers